Corellian Hounds is another one of the illustrations I made a couple of years ago for the Star Wars CCG by Fantasy Flight Games.

Like I say every time, I have no memory whatsoever of what particular expansion this belonged to, so you’ll have to do some digging if you are really interested:)

While I worked on this image I was also assigned several other illustrations based from the movie Solo, so I had to watch it several times in a relatively brief period of time.

Despite Solo not being exactly a record breaker at the box office, I have to say that I really didn’t mind it.

Sure, some things or some characters owe their charm to their sense of mystery, so NOT knowing how the sausage is made is the way to go more often than not.

For example, I was entirely happy to be oblivious to Yoda’s Midi-chlorian score.
At the same time, I’m not sure that Han Solo’s image gained anything by having his backstory made public.

However, if we really NEED to have a movie about young Han Solo, well this one wasn’t that bad.
Better than seeing young Anakin racing on Tatooine, just to name one.

Anyway, the Corellain Hounds are a race indigenous to Corellia, which is where a part of the movie is set.

While young Han is trying to leave the planet chased by bad guys, his pursuers unleash these ferocious animals onto him and Daenerys Targaryen, which is what this illustration depicts (minus Han and Khaleesi, out of the frame).

Corellian Hounds are known for their supernatural sense of smell, their fierceness, and the fact that they can regenerate their fangs.

They’re also quite valuable, so owning a pack is considered a sign of high status on Corellia.

While researching for this image, I also learned that the Corellian Hounds in the movie were not CG!
In the same way they used elephants for the Banthas in Episode IV, they decided to use live animals with foam suits instead of CG models.

I always prefer practical effects to CG in movies, so I’m quite a fan of this decision.

Also, it looks like after their several months’ long training the dogs were happy to wear suits and masks, which is another big plus.

Let’s see if you can tell they’re actual dogs in this deleted scene.

Anyway, as I said I have a few other illustrations set in the movie Solo, I hope I’ll have the time to post them in the next few days.

by Paolo Puggioni